W.A. Production The King 2: The multiband compressor gets a new look
W.A. Production has released The King 2. Alongside other improvements, the new version of the multi-band compressor plug-in sports a redesigned user interface and a new preset browser. Like the predecessor, The King 2 aims to make complex multiband compression easy to use.
W.A. Production The King 2
The King first came out in 2017, so it was beginning to look like an ancient ruler in the fast-paced world of compressor plug-ins. W.A. Production has now revisited the plug-in and given it a fresh look, along with some other new features. The new, flattened GUI looks more modern and goes well with the company’s newer plug-ins like Orchid.
Like its ancestor, The King 2 is a 5-band compressor with simplified controls. Each band offers its own threshold slider and make-up gain control. Unfortunately, the crossover frequencies cannot be adjusted, but then again, that would make The King much more complicated. Ease of use and quick results are The King’s main objectives, and five pre-defined bands should be enough in most cases.
In the top half, you’ll find the basic settings, which are largely unchanged from the predecessor. Again, simplicity and ease of use takes preference over in-depth controls. There’s the Magic EQ, a one-knob equalizer that lets you choose from three pre-defined curves. And instead of individual attack and release controls, The King 2 offers a single Time knob. The Mix knob allows for parallel compression, and you can activate the built-in brickwall limiter by clicking the button below it. Two knobs let you dial in the desired amounts of upward and downward compression.
So what’s new? As it turns out, The King 2 doesn’t offer any new features in terms of what the plug-in can do. But they’ve added a couple of things to bring it up to 2020 standards. Besides the redesigned GUI, that includes a new preset browser, macOS Catalina compatibility and, for the first time in The King’s rulership, an AAX version.
Price and compatibility
W.A. Production has a very tempting introductory offer: For a limited time, you can grab The King 2 at 90% off the regular price. It’s now available from Plugin Boutique* for USD 9.90 / GBP 7.90. We don’t know how long this offer will last, so it’s probably a good idea to act quickly.
The plug-in runs on Windows 7 or higher (32/64 bit) and macOS 10.7 or higher (32/64 bit) in VST, AU and AAX formats. The AAX version requires Pro Tools 11. A free demo is available from the developer’s site.
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